Means for operating cooling systems for internal-combustion engines



Nov. 13, 1928.

W. W. MUlR MEANS FOR OPERATING COOLING SYSTEMS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Aug. 20, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet Nov. 13, 1928. 1,691,121

w. w. MUIR MEANS FOR OPERATING COOLING SYSTEMS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Aug. 20, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 13, 1928.

W. W. MUIR MEANS FOR OPERATING COOLING SYSTEMS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES l u i il!!! Nov. 13, 1928. 1,691,121

W. W. MUIR MEANS FOR OPERATING COOLING SYSTEMS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Aug. 20, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 gwucntoc WWIfluir Patented Nov. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES WELLINGTON W. 'MUIR, OF LOCKPORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HARRISON RADIATOR 1,691,121 PATENT OFFICE.

CORPORATION, OF LOCKPOR'I, NEW YORK.

MEANS FOR OPERATING COOLING SYSTEMS 'FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed August 20, 1925. Serial No. 51,382.

This invention relates to means for operating cooling systems for internal combustion engines and has for its object to improve the procedures heretofore propose-d,

With this and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel steps and combinations of steps constituting the method or process and the novel parts and combinations of parts constituting the apparatus, all as will bemore fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

This application is a continuation of my prior application #600,637, filed Nov. 11, 1922, entitled Means for operating internal combustion engines, inso far as the invention pertaining to Fig. 5 thereof is concerned.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views:

Figure 1 is a plan view partially broken away of a preferred form of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view partially broken away of the parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view partially broken away showing the relation of the vertically disposed tanks 4 and 5, and their associated parts;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view partially broken away of a slightly modified form of the in vention shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. l is a side elevational view partially broken away of the parts shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a still further modified form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of the parts shown in Fig. 5;

- Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of another modified form of the invention; and

F ig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 4, of the parts shown in Fig. 7.

in order that the precise invention may be the more clearly understood, it is said It is well known that in those systems of cooling internal combustion engines wherein the water cooling tubes are vertically dis; posed, the vent for the air leads in many cases from the bottom tank or bottom portion of the cooling system, in order to prevent the valuable alcoholic vapors present in said systems from escaping into the atmosphere with the air present. But, it is further well known that in such cases when the engine stops or is slowed down suffic'iently in cold weather condensed water vapor or water itself soon collects in the bottom portions of the radiator and its connections, .and thus is the vent to the atmosphere of necessity closed by this accumulation of liquid. The result of this is to prevent any further air escaping from the system into the atmosphere. This is a real objection in this class of cooling systems and is entirely avoided in this invention, as Wlll presently appear. In other words, in the former systems involving downflow radiators, the air is either vented from the top of the system along with any alcoholic vapors present, which is very objectionable, or else it is liable to be trapped in the upper portions of the radiators, or systems by an accumu a tion of water when the engine stops, and thus in the latter case the radiator becomes cold, pressure is built up, and finally, of necessity, the cooling liquid present in the system is blown out of the vent and lost.

In this system, on the other hand, these serious objections are overcome as will now be disclosed.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 indicates the jacket of an internal combustion engine, 2 a pipe or passage leading from the top of the same to a point near the top of a tank 4.- disposed on one side of the radiator 3, as illustrated. Said radiator 3 is provided on its vertical sides with the vertical tanks 4 and 5, as shown, and said tanks are partitioned off from the rest of the radiiator body as by the vertically disposed partitions 6 and 7', respectively. Extending be tween these partitions 6 and 7 are the horizontally disposed water cooling tubes 8, as illustrate-d, which connect the tank 4 with the tank 5 as will be readily understood. The tank 5 is provided with any suitable venting means 9, such for example, as the vent passage and check valve 10, as shown, so that any air which may rise to the top of the tank 5 can be readily vented from the system. The tank 5 is connected at its bottom by the pipe 12 to the suction side of the pump 13, which, in turn, is connected on its delivery side by the pipe 14; with the lower portion of the jacket 1, as at the point 15. 16 indicates any suitable filling means provided with a filler cap 17 and the top of said filling means 16 is preferably so located that the level 18 of the-water or other liquid in the system will reach almost to the top of the jacket 1 but not quite,

so that there will be left a very small steam or vapor space 19 in the system when the engine stops.

The operation of this device as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, is as follows :The engine having been started, water or other li uid 20 in the jacket will be heated up due to t e fact that at first there will be no circulation thereof, and later there will only be a slow circulation thereof until the engine gets thoroughly warmed up. When this latter occurs a mixture of water, water vapor and alcoholic vapor, if alcohol is used in the system, will be passed from the jacket 1 through the pipe 2, into the vertically disposed side tank 4, best illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 2 whereupon the water entering said tank will fall to the bottom thereof, and the vapor accompanying said water will rise to the top of said tank. But the top of the tank 4 being closed by the top plate 21 of the radiator, the vapor whether it be water vapor or alcoholic vapor along with any air that may accompany the same, is forced to pass through the upper layers 22 of the tubes 8 with which said radiator 3 is provided, and thence pass into the top portion of the tank 5, all as will be clear from Figs. 1 and 2. But, as these tubes 22 exert a cooling action upon the vapors present therein, the alcoholic and water vapors will be condensed by the time they reach the tank 5. Therefore, the condensed vapors will fall to the bottom of tank 5 and mix with the water that has passed through the lower cooling tubes 23 of the system, while any air that may have accompanied said water or vapors will pass up through the tank 5 and vent tube 9 past the check valve 10 and escape to the atmosphere. j

The pump 13 continuing to run, the condensed vapor and liquid accumulating in the bottom 25 of the radiator 3 will be received on the suction side 13 of said pump and be delivered from the force side of the said pump through the pipe 14 to the bottom of the jacket 1, as at the point 15. Thus will the circulation of the cooling fluid be continued so long as the engine is running. When the engine stops, on the other hand, whether there be check valves in the pipes 14 or 12, ornot, and whether the water rises in the radiator 3 or not, it is not possible for the vent 9 to be closed off by the accumulation of water in the radiator. Consequently, under all conditions, whether the engine is running or not,

any air pressure that may accumulate in the system is readily relieved through the check valve 10. On the other hand, as will be seen from the foregoing, no alcoholic vapors can escape from the system until after they have passed through the cooling tubes 22 which will under almost every condition condense the same and send them back to the system.

In other words, it will now be clear that in this invention the cross flow tubes 8, 22 and 23, fill up the entire radiator casing, leaving no tanks at all at the top and bottom of said casing as is usual in cross flow radiators, as well as in downflow radiators, but that on the other hand vertically disposed tanks 4 and 5 are provided in this invention with the tank 4 first receiving the cooling fluid, closed to the atmosphere and the tank 5 disposed nearest the pump connected with the atmosphere through any suitable check valve or vent.

This operation and arrangement of parts absolutely prevents the air at any time from being trapped in the upper portions of the radiator or system, so that it is impossible to blow cooling fluid through the vent tube as is the case in many prior systems. It is further impossible to lose any alcoholic vapor with the air until after said alcoholic vapors have been subjected to a cooling action, and which action generally condenses them and saves them to the system.

Coming, now, to the slightly modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the construction and operation is substantially the same as in the preceding figures, except the by-pass pipe 30 joins the tube 12 with the jacket 1 at the point 31, and thus enables the pump 13 to suck fluid out of the jacket 1 and circulate it through the pipe 14 around and around back into said acket, before and after any liquid is collected in the radiator 3. In this way, a more rapid heating up of the liquid to a working temperature is had, and also a better circulation of the liquid through the jacket spaces and a better elimination of steam and air pockets in said spaces is accomplished than is the case in the construction of Figs. 1 and 2, for example. Otherwise, the construction and parts in Figs. 3 and 4 are, or may be, the same as in said Figures 1 and 2.

In the further modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the parts are, or

may be, the same as in Figs. 3 and 4, except there is added between the pump 13 and the point 15 in the jacket the Venturi tube or apparatus 33. This Venturi apparatus enables the pump to forcibly circulate or suck liquid through the pipe 30 to its suction side 13, to then force said liquid through the short tube 36, through the restricted portion 37 of the Venturi tube into the pipe 14 and back into the jacket 1 at the point 13. This action creates a suction in the pipe 12 which draws liquid from the bottom of tank 5 and forces it through the pipe 14 back into the jacket. This particular modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6, thus provides for a continuous circulation of the cooling liquid around and around from the jacket from the point 31 through the pipe 30, through the pump 13, through the pipe 14 and back to the acket, both when the radiator 3 contains liquid and when it does not contain liquid. When said radiator 3 contains liquid, this particular modified form of the invention sucks the liquid out of the tank 5 of the radiator and forces it back into the jacket, and when the radiator does not contain liquid it sucks out of the radiator any vapors that may exist therein and thus creates a lesser pressure in the steam space 19 than would otherwise be the case. In other words, a lessening of the pressure in the steam or vapor space 19 promotes the formation of vapor in the jacket and the carrying away of heat therefrom.

In the still further modified form of the invention, shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the construction may be the same as in the preceding Figs. 5 and 6, except there is placed in the pipe 12 the small chamber 38 provided with the check valve 39 to prevent liquid flowing back out of the jacket 1, through the Venturi tube 33 and through the pipes 12 and 40, back into the .radiator 3, where it may freeze in cold weather.

It will now be clear that in all the forms of the invention, this radiator is provided with a hot side and a cold? side, the former I being that region where the hot fluid enters from the jacket for cooling, and the latter being that region of the radiator on the other side of the cooling or condensing means from the hot side. It will further be clear from all the figures of the drawings that this radiator is vented from the top of a. vertically disposed tank 5 located on the cold side of a cross flow radiator so that any alcoholic vapors that are carried over into the radiator from the jacket, of necessity, must be largely or completely condensed before they reach this said last named tank and thus saved to the system; while at all times whether the radiator is filled with water or not, any air that may be present in the system is readily vent ed out of the top of the said tank 5 and effectually separated from the alcoholic vapors and cooling liquid present. In the meantime, of course, the check valve 10 or other venting means eflectuallyprevents any air from entering the system at any time at all. Stated in still other language, this invention maintains at all times whether the engine is running or not, on the cold side of the radiator, a free passage to the atmosphere for any air that is present in the system, while the pump 13 provides a power means for circulating the liquid through the system and thus insures an eflicient cooling of the jacket.

What is claimed is 1. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, the combination of a jacket; a

cross flow radiator provided with cooling passages extending from side to side thereof; a connection leading from said jacket to said radiator; a connection including a fluid forcing means leading from said radiator to said jacket; a by-pass connection associated with said forcing means joining said jacket;

and means connected with the cold side of said 3. In a cooling system for internal combustion engines, the combination of a cooling circuit including a cross flow radiator provided with a vertically disposed tank on its cold side; a power means to circulate the cooling fluid through said circuit; a by-passconnection between said jacket and said power means; a Venturi device associated with said power means and said by-pass connected to said tank; and means associated with said tank for venting any air present to the atmosp ere.

4. In a water cooling system, for internal combustion engines, the combination of a cooling circuit including a cross flow radiator and a Venturi means adapted to withdraw condensate from said radiator; a pump connected to said circuit and Venturi means to cause the action of the latter; a by-pass connected to said pump and jacket; and means for venting the system of air from the cold side of said radiator.

5. In a water cooling system for internal combustion engines, the combination of a cooling circuit including a cross flow radiator, a check valve and a Venturi means adapted to withdraw condensate from said radiator; a pump connected to said circuit and Venturi means to cause the action of the latter; a by-pass connected to said pump and jacket; and means comprising a check valve for venting the system of air from the cold side of said radiator.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WELLINGTON W. MUIR. 

